1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to ski equipment and, more particularly, to an apparatus for supporting a skier's skis while riding a ski lift.
2. Description of the Related Art
Among the many wintertime outdoor recreation and leisure activities that many people enjoy, skiing still remains one of the all time favorites. It can be enjoyed by people of all skill levels and all ages. One activity usually associated with skiing is that of riding a ski lift to the top of a ski run. This is often a relaxing procedure and gives the riders an opportunity to wave to friends, enjoy the scenery and watch other skiers. However, on those ski lifts without an integral foot rest, it can turn into a painful experience for many. The constant tension of the skis, the boots, and clothing pulling down on ones legs without any support can cause pain, stress, and tension in the leg, knee, and back muscles. This fact may keep some people from enjoying skiing altogether and at the very least keeps people from skiing longer. Accordingly, there exists a need for a means by which the comfort of a foot rest can be provided to ski lift chairs without an integral foot rest. The development of the ski lift ski rest fulfills this need.
In the related art, there exists several patents for devices for supporting the skier's feet and skis while riding a ski lift chair. Most of these devices support the feet and skis by providing a support suspended from a single cord or line connected to a strap that is secured to the user's waist or to the ski lift chair. However, when a support strap is secured to a user's waist, the user bears the weight of the feet and skis, which can be very uncomfortable. The devices in the patents wherein the strap is connected to the ski lift chair can be cumbersome and difficult to attach to the ski lift chair for support. The present invention eliminates all of these problems by providing a ski lift ski rest that is supported by the safety rail of the ski lift and not by the user and is connected via convenient quick release clamps.
A search of the prior art did not disclose any patents that read directly on the claims of the instant invention; however, the following references were considered related:
U.S. Pat. No. Inventor Issue Date 5,653,467 Griffin et al. Aug. 5, 1977 4,940,255 Donine Jul. 10, 1990 5,261,699 Marston Nov. 16, 1993 4,358,138 Laughlin et al. Nov. 9, 1982 4,341,400 Morgan Jul. 27, 1982 4,299,409 Gedicks Nov. 10, 1981 4,844,547 Adkins Jul. 4, 1989 4,556,252 Serex Dec. 3, 1985
Consequently, a need has been felt for providing an improved ski lift ski rest which is easily and quickly attached to the ski lift safety rail and is not supported by the user.